Kyiv Death Toll Reaches 26 Amid Surge of Russian Strikes Ignoring Trump’s Ceasefire Call

The death toll from a wave of Russian drone and missile strikes that targeted various areas of Kyiv early Thursday has climbed to 26, including three children, with 159 others injured. The assault also resulted in the destruction of an apartment building.

Among those killed were a six-year-old boy and his mother, as more than twenty sites across the capital were struck.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported that three children were among the deceased and 16 among the injured. The mayor of Kyiv noted this was the highest number of child casualties in a single night since the escalation of the war.

The Russian bombardment persisted despite US President Donald Trump’s warning of enhanced sanctions against Moscow if Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire by August 8.

The death toll was updated after rescue teams recovered 10 bodies, including that of a two-year-old child, from the debris of a residential building in the Sviatoshynsky district, as shared by Ukraine’s Interior Ministry on Telegram.

“Both Russia and Ukraine must engage in ceasefire negotiations for lasting peace. Now is the time to reach an agreement,” John Kelley, the acting US representative to the UN, stated during a Security Council meeting on Thursday. “Trump has asserted that this must culminate by August 8.”

The sounds of Russian drones echoed above the city for hours, punctuated by the explosive impacts of missile strikes.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 309 drones and eight cruise missiles through the night. While officials reported the successful interception of many, several locations sustained hits from cruise missiles.

A fiery glow marked the aftermath of widespread devastation.

These attacks represented the most significant aerial assaults since Trump accelerated an earlier ultimatum to Putin. The prospect of further US sanctions appears to have done little to alter Russia’s strategy.

In the meantime, Russia announced its capture of the strategically significant town of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region.

However, Ukraine refuted this claim, with military analysts suggesting that combat in the area remains ongoing.

Three fatalities in Kyiv were linked to the obliteration of the apartment complex.

“An entire entrance was obliterated. Emergency workers are clearing the debris,” stated Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that the capital was the primary target of Russia’s overnight assaults.

“The world has witnessed once again Russia’s response to our, America’s, and Europe’s quest for peace. More brazen murder,” he expressed on social media.

“This underlines why peace without strength is unattainable.”

The Sviatoshynskyi and Solomyansky districts of Kyiv experienced the brunt of the assault.

The shockwave from the blasts shattered windows in a pediatric hospital in the Shevchenkivskyi district, according to the mayor’s Telegram messages.

A local university, a school, and a kindergarten also sustained damages.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the situation as a “terrible morning” in Kyiv, with “still individuals trapped beneath the debris.”

Sybiha emphasized that Trump had been “exceptionally accommodating and patient” with Putin, but asserted it was now necessary to exert “maximum pressure on Moscow” through sanctions.

Earlier in July, Trump set a deadline of 50 days for the Kremlin to forge a truce with Kyiv or face economic repercussions.

On Monday, during a visit to the UK, Trump trimmed that deadline to “ten or twelve days,” highlighting his frustration over Putin’s actions in Ukraine, which has faced a full-scale invasion for over three years.

Trump refrained from stating whether he believed the Russian president had misled him, but indicated a noticeable gap between Putin’s statements in their discussions and the missiles “launched” at Ukrainian cities.

“We were set for a ceasefire and potential peace… then missiles suddenly started raining down on Kyiv and other cities,” Trump commented.

Meanwhile, Ukraine dismissed Russian assertions regarding Chasiv Yar’s fall, following ongoing battles there that began in April of last year.

The town, significantly damaged after 16 months of conflict, has had military officials report that Russia is spreading misinformation about its status.

The open-source intelligence initiative DeepState observed that while Russians had taken parts of eastern and northern Chasiv Yar, fighting was ongoing in other sections.

Securing the higher ground would offer Russia a crucial position to target major cities in the Donetsk region to the west, such as Druzhivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk.

Throughout the conflict, Ukrainian forces have contended with superior Russian manpower, but reported shortages in the eastern front pose increasing challenges for Russian targets.

Pokrovsk, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Chasiv Yar, is currently one of the hottest spots on the front line, raising concerns that the thousands of Ukrainian defenders there might face encirclement by advancing Russian forces.